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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The New Orleans Saints edged out the Cleveland Browns 23-22 in overtime at the Superdome on Sunday, but Shedeur Sanders stole the show late. Sanders was sacked five times, and the Browns' offense struggled for most of the game, but he caught fire in the fourth, finding KC Concepcion for a 64-yard touchdown with just over five minutes left to put Cleveland ahead, 13-9. New Orleans would answer with a two-yard rushing touchdown from Audric Estime to reclaim the lead at 16-13.
The Browns tied it at 16 on a 51-yard Andre Szmyt field goal to send the game into overtime. Tyler Shough then marched the Saints 74 yards, hitting Juwan Johnson for a 15-yard touchdown pass. Sanders answered with a 39-yard touchdown pass to Harold Fannin, and Todd Monken went for two and the win, but the pass fell incomplete.
Sanders made a strong impression even in a loss, finishing 19 of 31 for 297 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Even CBS Sports analyst and former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher said after the game that Sanders should keep the starting job and be considered a long-term answer for the Browns at the position.
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"Moving forward, Shedeur Sanders should be the starter for this football team. He's gonna be the future," Cowher said. "I think what he showed today, his resiliency, continuing to come back, he made great decisions, he extended plays. I loved the way he played, and I would move forward with him as my starter."
"Right now, what I saw from Shedeur Sanders, I would move forward because he is the future of your football team," he added.
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Sanders got the nod with Deshaun Watson in concussion protocol after Jaquan Brisker's hit in the Steelers game last week. Monken had named Watson the team's starter in August, and he'd put together some solid performances through the first eight games of the season, completing 65.5% of his passes for 1,806 yards and seven touchdowns with three interceptions, along with 217 rushing yards. More importantly, the Browns went 5-3 with Watson as the starter. However, Watson's contract also expires after this season, leaving his future in Cleveland uncertain. That's the heart of the debate.
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Sanders became the only quarterback with multiple 60-yard completions this season, and the first Browns quarterback since Jameis Winston in 2024 with 250 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions in a game, according to CBS Sports Research. He also did it behind an offensive line that gave up five sacks.
With Cleveland holding two first-round picks in 2027 and Watson's contract expiring, giving Sanders real starts now could give the organization the answer it's been searching for. The Browns host the Texans next Sunday, then face the Raiders, Bengals, Falcons, Giants, Ravens, and Colts, before closing out their season at Cincinnati.
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